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JesseHarris
JesseHarris
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Render At Same Settings As Import

Jun 20, 2012 9:09 AM

Hi,

 

Running AE 5.5 on a Mac tower with OSX 10.6.4

 

This is most likely very obvious;  I was given an .mov of unspecified codec to color correct, (864x486, not that the size matters, no transformations there) and I'd like to output it with the same codec I was given.  I have determined the color space is sRGB IEC61966-2.1 and my Project color space is the same. 

 

How can I find out the "native" codec, short of bothering my client??

 

Thank you!

751 Views   15 Replies   Latest reply: BenMarkus, Aug 10, 2012 9:12 AM
 
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  • BenMarkus
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    1. BenMarkus,
    Jun 20, 2012 9:21 AM   in reply to JesseHarris
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    Have you tried opening the file in quicktime and hitting Command + I.  This should open the an info box and tell you the exact format of the clip.

     
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  • Dave LaRonde
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    2. Dave LaRonde,
    Jun 20, 2012 9:21 AM   in reply to JesseHarris
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    Highlight the footage in question in the project window.  At the very top, you'll see the information about that file: H&V size, frame rate, media container (e.g. Quicktime movie) and codec (e.g. ProRes 422).

     
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  • JesseHarris
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    3. JesseHarris,
    Jun 20, 2012 9:22 AM   in reply to JesseHarris
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    I believe I've found my own answer - please correct me if I'm wrong; but in the Output Module I selected None for Format Options. 

     

    I'd appreciate a confirmation - and my apologies in advance for askinga numbskull question :-)

     

    Jesse

     
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  • Dave LaRonde
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    4. Dave LaRonde,
    Jun 20, 2012 9:25 AM   in reply to JesseHarris
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    This is a NEGATIVE confirmation.  Look at what's written above.  Proceed accordingly.

     
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  • JesseHarris
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    5. JesseHarris,
    Jun 20, 2012 9:28 AM   in reply to Dave LaRonde
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    Dave,

            

     

     

               Highlight the footage in question in the project window.  At the very top, you'll see the information about that file: H&V size, frame rate, media container (e.g. Quicktime movie) and codec (e.g. ProRes 422).

     

     

     

    Thank you for taking the time - and yes I looked in the Project Window, I know it would help if I showed you a screen shot, but time is of the essence...

     

    Project Window only tells me 864x486, frame rate, millions of colors, audio info, and Color Profile - no codec.  And since it's an  .mov file I'm sure it's a QT!

     
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  • JesseHarris
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    6. JesseHarris,
    Jun 20, 2012 9:30 AM   in reply to Dave LaRonde
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              This is a NEGATIVE confirmation.  Look at what's written above.  Proceed accordingly.

     

    Thank you again, however when I highlight the footage, strangely there is no codec listed next to the footage icon in the Project Pane.

     

    ???

     

    Best,

     

    Jesse

     
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  • JesseHarris
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    7. JesseHarris,
    Jun 20, 2012 9:34 AM   in reply to Dave LaRonde
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              Highlight the footage in question in the project window.  At the very top, you'll see the information about that file: H&V size, frame rate, media container (e.g. Quicktime movie) and codec (e.g. ProRes 422).

     

     

    [IMG]http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd402/jessedavidharris/Screenshot2 012-06-20at123109PM.png[/IMG]

     

     

     

    Any ideas?

     
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  • Mylenium
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    8. Mylenium,
    Jun 20, 2012 9:52 AM   in reply to JesseHarris
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    Looks odd. Does Quicktime itself reveal any CoDec info (Cmd-J/ Cmd-I)? There are "None" and a generic "Video" CoDec in QT which might not yield any readout.... If it's those, then that would possibly explain it...

     

    Mylenium

     
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  • BenMarkus
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    9. BenMarkus,
    Jun 20, 2012 9:54 AM   in reply to JesseHarris
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    It is possible to render out of After Effects with the codec set to "none" so this may be the case...

     

    Screen Shot 2012-06-20 at 9.49.08 AM.png

    But, as I said before, you could confirm this by opening the clip in quicktime player and hitting Command + I or going Window - Show Movie Inspector.

     
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  • JesseHarris
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    10. JesseHarris,
    Jun 20, 2012 10:13 AM   in reply to Mylenium
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              Looks odd. Does Quicktime itself reveal any CoDec info (Cmd-J/ Cmd-I)? There are "None" and a generic "Video" CoDec in QT which might not yield any readout.... If it's those, then that would possibly explain it...

     

              Mylenium

     

    Right, I did that in QT as Ben Markus was also suggesting - and there was NO codec specified, or mentioned.  I believe my client exported the .mov directly out of Avid - as one would in FCP as well, using the Export command and choosing None compression.

     

    Myl, can I choose NONE for Format Options in the Output Module - as Ben's screenshot shows above, and render with no ill effects??

     

    I tried this and it seems to look good.

     

    Please let me know your thoughts.

     

    Best,

     

    Jesse

     
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  • JesseHarris
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    11. JesseHarris,
    Jun 20, 2012 10:14 AM   in reply to BenMarkus
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    Ben,

     

    Thanks so much for weighing in - please see my response to Mylenium above.  I very much appreciate everyone's speedy responses!  I love this forum.

     

    Jesse

     
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  • BenMarkus
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    12. BenMarkus,
    Jun 20, 2012 10:39 AM   in reply to JesseHarris
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    No problem we're here to help.  As Mylenium said, it could also just be a generic video codec that doesn't yield a readout in both Quicktime and After Effects, so it seems you should be fine exporting out to "none." However, I'm curious if the file size is a lot larger when you export it to "none."  You may want to check in with your client anyway to see what format he/she would like the clips exported in because you could end up getting much larger file sizes by setting it to "none" in the video codec settings.  This could potentially effect playback.  There are other lossless or near lossless codecs such as ProRes or H.264, which your client might prefer over "none," or a DNxHD file if they want to continue editing in Avid.

     
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  • Dave LaRonde
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    13. Dave LaRonde,
    Jun 20, 2012 10:48 AM   in reply to BenMarkus
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    BenMarkus wrote:

     

    ...There are other lossless or near lossless codecs such as ProRes or H.264, which your client might prefer over "none," or a DNxHD file if they want to continue editing in Avid.

     

    Hmmm... personally, I'd exclude H.264 from the list.  It's a good final delivery codec, and it's regrettably an acquisition codec, but you're implying that it's an acceptable intermediate codec.  That's really iffy in my opinion. 

     

    For my projects I would not use it.  Not ever.  Not even as a joke.

     
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  • JesseHarris
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    14. JesseHarris,
    Jun 20, 2012 10:50 AM   in reply to BenMarkus
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    Ben,

     

    File size is exactly the same as client's original MOV!  I'm going with it, as I know he's in a meeting and expecting to see my work immediately when he finishes :-)  It's looking good.

     

    Thank you!

     
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  • BenMarkus
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    15. BenMarkus,
    Aug 10, 2012 9:12 AM   in reply to Dave LaRonde
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    That's true.  I would not use H.264 for an intermediate Codec.  It's definitely lossy, but as Dave said H.264 quicktimes are usually good enough for final output especially if you're going to be screening something from the desktop and want to make sure it will play back smoothly.

     
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